1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of probe storage devices and, more particularly, to a scanning system for a probe storage device.
2. Description of Background
Parallel probe-based data-storage systems are currently being developed for future data-storage applications. A parallel probe-based system employs a large array of atomic-force microscopic probes that read, write and erase data on a storage medium carried by and X/Y scanning system. The large array of probes enables very high storage densities to be achieved. Moreover, by operating the array of probes in parallel, high data transfer rates are also achievable. The high storage capacity, combined with rapid transfer rates, enables the storage system to be built into a small package that is ideal for mobile storage applications.
Mobile storage applications present a variety of engineering challenges. First, mobile storage systems must be robust against vibration and shock. Second, mobile storage system must be capable of operating on a restricted power budget. A mobile probe based storage system should be capable of maintaining sub-nanometer tracking performance while being subjected to mechanical shocks that create accelerations approaching 10's of g's. However, making a mechanical devise more robust, i.e., capable of withstand high accelerations typically requires making components stiffer. Existing scanning systems employ a “C”-topology frame that supports a scan table for movement along a single axis of an X-Y plane. The “C”-topology frame suffers from undesirable shear and bending deformations which impose limits on maintaining sub-nanometer tracking. That is, in order to maintain high tracking accuracies, components of the probe storage device must be made stiffer. The additional, stiffer, components possess power requirements that render the probe storage device less desirable for mobile applications.